brott



No Model.)

G. P. BR-OTT.

2 sheets sheet 1.

ATTACHMENT FOR COTTON GINS.

Patented Aug. 19,1890.

(No Model.) T 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T G. F. BROTT.

ATTACHMENT FOR COTTON GINS. No. 434,759. Patented Aug. 19,1890.

UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. BROTT, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ATTACHMENT FOR COTTON-GlNSf SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 434,759, dated August 19, 1890.

Application filed June a, 1890. Serial No. 364,518. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BRoTT, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at W ashington, in the Districtof Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAttachments for Ootton-Gins and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invent-ion, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates, generally, to attachments for cotton-gins, andparticularly to improvements therein which render them peculiarly fittedor constructed for feeding seedcotton and separating therefrom allhulls, twigs, dirt, and other foreign nratters before the ginningthereof takes place, and at the same time for straightening andloosening the locks and fibers attached to the seed or for placing thelatter in such condition that the fiber can be completely removedtherefrom without cutting, breaking, or otherwiseinj uring the same; andit consists in the peculiaritiesof construction and arrangement orcombination of parts hereinafter disclosed in the description, drawings,and claims.

The object of my invention is to provide improved feeding devices forregularly and uniformly delivering seed-cotton to cottongins, and alsofor simultaneously removing all hulls, dirt, and other foreign matterstherefrom and for straightening and loosening the fiber upon the seedprior to subjecting the same to the action of said cotton-gins, wherebythe removal of the fiber close to the seed and the prevention of thecutting orotherwise injuring of the same can be effected. This object isaccomplished by the mechanism herein described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which thesame referencenumerals indicate the same parts, and in which Figurelrepresents a vertical section of an attachment for cotton-ginsconstructed in accordance with my invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 representside elevations of the opposite sides of the same, showing thedriving-gearing therefor.

. In the drawings illustrating my improved seed-cotton feeding andcleaning and fiber straightening and loosening mechanisms, the numeral 1indicates the hopper, which is provided with the removable downwardlyand rearwardly inclined front wall 2, which forms itsbottom, this wallor bottom being secured in place by the hooks and eyes 2, and with theinwardly-movable triangular end or side walls 3,which are hinged attheir rear edges, so as to permit of being folded inwardly into smallcompass,'when desired. lommunicating with and arranged in rear of thishopper is the upwardly and rearwardly inclined chute 4, which is hingedor pivoted at the front side of its lower end to the floor for holdingit in or releasing it from upright position, and it is provided with asuitably perforated and curved bottom 5. Within this chute is arrangedthe toothed and endless feeding-apron 6, which is suspended from anddriven by the shaft 7, which is suitably journaled in the upper end ofsaid chute and guided by the tension-shaft 8, which is arranged justabove said perforated bottom and journaled at its ends in adjustablebearings 9 of any ordinary construction. At the angle formed by thelower ends of said hopper and chute and for some distance upwardtherefrom the seed-cotton is seized by the teeth of said endless feedingapron and carried upward, any surplus amount thereof being detached fromsaid teeth and forced backward or downward by the strip of leather orother flexible material on the retarding-roll 10, which rotatesdownwardly and rearwardly and nearly in contact with said apron, wherebya regular and uniform upward passage of the seed-cotton for deliveryinto the hopper of a cotton-gin is effected; also, this retarding-rollforces back into the hopper 1 all stones, nails, twigs, and such otherlarge foreign matters as may be attached to or mixed with the fiber.

The upper front portion of the chute 4 is provided with the cover 4,which is hinged or pivoted to the sides thereof at the point 00, andwhich is rearwardly curved along its middle portion and formed orprovided with the rearwardly and downwardly projecting deflector 11.Beneath and close to this cover is arranged and secured thenormally-stationary toothed plate 12, which is straight for a portion ofits length, and then curved rear-V wardly over the toothed feeding-apron6, which in connection with said toothed plate operates to straightenand loosen the fiber upon the seed by a drawing, pulling, or comblugaction thereon, and to thus properly prepare the same for submission tothe action of any suitable cotton-gin. This toothed plate 1s also hingedor pivoted to the sides of the chute 4 at the point 5, so that when thecover 4 and its deflector 11 are turned to the left, or forwardly, asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the toothed plate 12 is turned tothe right, or rearwardly, the teeth of said plate and those of thefeeding-apron 6 will be exposed for cleaning, repairs, &e.' Thedeflector 11 overhangs the brush-roll 13 and arrests and delivers backupon said roll any seed-cotton which may be thrown upwardly thereby.This brush-roll is journaled in the sides of the incllned chute 14,which leads to a gin-hopper beneath. This brush-roll possesses thethreefold function of a stripper, a feeder, and a fan, as it strips theseed-cotton from the teeth of said feeding-apron, feeds it into thegin-hopper, and creates an air-blast which forces all sand, dust, andothe'r small foreign matters released from the fiber at that point backinto the chute 4, whence they descend over its rear wall and pass outthrough its perforated bottom 5.

Under the construction and arrangement or combination of the parts thusdescribed perfect feeding and cleaning of the seed-cotton andstraightening and loosening of its fiber are effected, and also allpossibility of fire occurring from the friction of stones, nails, andthe like is avoided, as they are thoroughly removed before coming intocontact with the ginning mechanism.

For the operation of my improved attachment for cotton-gins power isreceived from the latter or from any other suitable source and appliedthrough the endless belt 15 to the pulley 16 on one end of the shaft 7,through which motion is imparted to the toothed and endlessfeeding-apron 6. In passing to the under side of the pulley 16 the belt15 passes over the small pulley 17 on the end of the shaft 18 of thebrush-roll l3 and revolves the same in a forward and downward direction,for the purposes above explained. On the other end of the shaft 7,opposite the pulley 16, is secured the sprocket-wheel 19, over whichpasses the sprocket-chain 20, which leads down to and passes around thespr'ocketwl1eel21 on the end of the shaft 22 of the flexibly-wingedretarding-roll 10, and imparts downwardly and rearwardly rotary motionthereto for the purposes above mentioned. The directions of movement ofthe revolving parts of my improved attachment for cottongins areindicated by arrows in the drawings.

To recapitulate and add to the abovedescribed operation and advantagesof my improved attachment, the following may be also stated: Theseed-cotton placed in the hopper 1 is carried upward in mass by theteeth of the endless feed-apron 6 until it reaches the downwardlyrevolving fiexiblywinged retarding-roll 10, which detaches and throwsback into said hopper all surplus seed-cotton, and at the same timedislodges all stones, nails, twigs, and such other large foreign mattersas may be attached to the fiber; also, this roll knocks out of the fiberalarge quantity of the sand and other small particles of dirtwhich areusually present therein, and which are finally discharged through theperforated or wire-netting bottom 5. In this condition a regular anduniform quantity of the seed-cotton is carried on upward by saidfeedapron until it reaches the stationary, partly straight and partlycurved, toothed plate 12, which, in connection with the teeth upon saidapron, opens out the locks of cotton, straight-- ens and partiallyloosens the fiber upon the seed, and perfectly prepares the same forsubmission to the ginning mechanism. In order to make fully apparentthis straightening andloosening action, it maybe explained that acotton-boll opens in four quarters or sections, that the fiber in eachsection is entirely separate from that in the others and is called alock of cotton, that the fiber in each lock connects the seed therein asit extends from one seed to another, and that it is so intimatelyinterlaced that it is difficult to separate the seed from each other. Bythe preliminary straightening and loosening action of the devices namedthe interlocked fiber between the seed is drawn around the teeth of theapron, and the progress of the I seed is gradually retarded by thestationary toothed plate, the result being that said fiber isstraightened, partially loosened upon the seed, and the seed whollydetached from each other.

Under the conditions stated my improved attachment for cotton-ginsaccomplishes its work with great rapidity and with surprisingly smallexpenditure of power, and during its operation requires but littleattention beyond occasionally supplying the same with seed-cotton.

Having thus fully described my improved attachment for cotton-gins, theconstruction and arrangement or combination of its parts, its operation,and advantages, what I claim as new is- 1. In an attachment forcotton-gins, the combination, with a feed-hopper and an endless toothedfeeding-apron communicating therewith, of a stationary toothed plate'for straightening and loosening the fiber upon the cottonseed inconnection with said feedingapron, substantially as described.

2. In an attachment for cotton-gins, the combination, with a feed-hopperand an endless toothed feeding-apron communicating therewith, of astationary toothed plate for straightening and loosening the fiber uponthe cotton-seed in connection with said feeding-apron, said toothedplate being straight for a portion of its length, and then curved IIOthe cotton-seed in conneetion with said feeding-apron, said toothedplate being straight for a portion of its length, and then curvedrearwardly over the upper portion of said apron and hinged or pivoted atits rear end,

substantially as'and for the purpose described.

4. In an attachment for cotton-gins, the combination,with a feed-hopper,an upwardly and rearwardly inclined chute provided with a hinged coverat its upper end and an endless toothed feeding apron arranged and movedwithin said chute and communicating with said hopper, of a partlystraight and partly curved toothed plate arranged just beneath saidhinged cover and pivoted at its rear end to the sides of the upper partof said chute, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In an attachment for cotton-gins, the combination, with a feed-hopperand an endless toothed feeding-apron communicating therewith, of adownwardly and rearwardly rotating and Winged retarding-roll and meansfor straightening and loosening the fiber upon the seed in connectionwith said feedingapron, substantially as described.

6. In an attachment for cotton-gins, the combination, with a feed-hopperand an endless toothed feeding-apron in communication therewith, of adownwardly and rearwardly rotating and flexibly-winged retarding-rolland means for straightening and loosening the fiber upon the seed inconnection with said feeding-apron, said means consisting of astationary toothed plate substantially as described.

7. In an attachment for cotton-gins, the

feeding-apron arranged and moved within said chute and communicatingwith said hopper, of a downwardly and rearwardly rotating and wingedretarding-roll and means forstraightening and loosening the fiber uponthe seed in connection with said feedingapron, substantially asdescribed.

9, In an attachment for cotton-gins, the combination, with afeed-hopper, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined chute provided with aperforated bottom and an endless toothed feeding-apron arranged andmoved within said chute and communicating with said hopper, of adownwardly and rearwardly rotating and winged retarding-roll and meansfor straightening and loosening the fiber upon the seed in connectionwith said feedingapron, said means consisting of a stationary toothedplate, substantially as described.

10. In an attachment for cotton-gins, the combination, with afeed-hopper, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined chute provided with aperforated bottom, and an endless toothed feeding-apron arranged andmoved within said chute and communicating with said hopper, of adownwardly and rearwardly rotating and winged retarding-roll and meansfor straightening and loosening the fiber upon the seed in connectionwith said feedingapron, said means consisting of a stationarypartly-straight and partly-curved toothed plate, substantially asdescribed.

11. In an attachment for cotton-gins, a feedhopper having a removablerearwardly and downwardly inclined front wall and triangular hingedinwardly-movable sides or end walls, substantially as described.

- 12. In an attachment for cotton-gins, a feedhopper having a removablerearwardly and downwardly inclined front wall and triangular hinged andinwardly-movable sides or end walls, in combination with the endlesstoothed apron and the inclined chute, which is pivoted or hinged at thefront side of its lower end, substantially as described.

. 13. In an attachment for cotton-gins, the combination, with thefeeding, retarding, and cleaning devices and the straightening and ICCloosening devices, of the deflector 11 and the brush-roll 13,substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

I GEORGE F. BROTT. Witnesses:

E. L. WHITE, TOM R. STUART.

IIO

